TWO

To the sweetest chicken in the whole world,

I'm aware that my baby is quickly disappearing. Don't get me wrong, you'll always be my baby, but you are becoming more and more a little boy. There are so many toddler-isms that are falling by the wayside. I don't want to forget them.

What a difference a year makes!

You say "bup" for up.
You can't say L's yet, so they sound like Y's. This means your name comes out "Ya-sss". That also means that lip balm (which you LOVE) is called "yips". So adorable.
That you used to say "sha-sha" if we asked "Are you ok?" This makes us very sad. Sometimes we still say it. Now you say a very adorable, well-enunciated "yes".
A blanket is a "bing", though it's morphing now into "bint". A cracker is a "crap". Your father and I disagree about which of these is super-adorable.

Two word combinations abound, but I can't get you to go to three. If you wants to go up, I can get all combinations of Mama, bup, and please. But only in twos.
Your favorite and most-random pastime is pretending to sleep. You love to climb into Mama and Dadda's bed and play possum. You frequently order us to play along and lay in bed with you. The fake snoring is the cutest.

Not really sleeping

Most mornings when I go in to your room to pick you up you happily declare "Yay Mama!" This is wonderful and makes my heart sing. Some mornings you are mad that I have come to get you and ask for your Dadda. I can eventually get you to agree that I'm an acceptable substitute.

It blows my mind to see how well you move. You climb and run and jump like an old pro. The best way to get you going is to suggest that you go "fast". You are so good at figuring things out and love to be independent. You are eager to try things on your own, but still ask for help (by saying and signing- you also do this for "more") willingly. That is something I love because your Mama isn't always good at asking for help and it's a valuable skill!

You are a happy chappy most of the time. Your smile and giggle are so wonderful to hear. You are starting to demonstrate your sense of humour and are finding things funny on your own, rather than just laughing when we laugh. You love to chuckle to The Gruffalo and The Gruffalo's Child- both book and movie formats.

You are sweet and loving. When you give me a hug you say "aaaaah Mama" and you will usually happily give kisses. You sometimes pretend that you don't want kisses, but then will ask for more until I cover you in them as you giggle.

You love our weekly Skype chats with Grandma and Grandpa. You get very excited when I set the computer up and you hear the skype sound. You haven't quite figured out that they are separate people and refer to them collectively as "Bapa". They adore you and can't wait to see you in May when they come visit.

our happy family

We love you so much, sweet boy. You are the most amazing thing in the world to us. There have certainly been hard times since you've been born, but I want you to know that the love that Dadda and I have for each other and you has only grown in the last two years. You bring us joy and happiness and we hope that we are able to return the favour over the next 100 years. No matter what else happens in the world, our little family is my happy place- and that is a wonderful thing.

You are my best, best boy. I love you so, so, so much.
Mama

Thankful

This Thanksgiving, even though I am not in the United States, I am thankful.

I admit that, most of the time, I am able to ignore my homesickness through a sheer force of will. I love my life here in Manchester. My husband and my son are my favorite people to be with in the world. Yesterday morning however, I was hit hard with longing. Longing for my family and for the familiar traditions, food, and noise of Thanksgiving in San Antonio. I worried that I wouldn't make it through the Skype session we'd arranged without bursting into tears. By the time it was skype-o-clock, I was feeling better and had procured the ingredients to make a pumpkin pie. (Did you know that it's really hard to find a pie tin in the UK? By really hard, I mean neither of the 2 grocery stores in our area had any.)

So here is where I will tell you things I'm thankful for:

I'm thankful for my son and my husband. I simply adore them. They are both kind and clever and beautiful and funny. Every day I am happy to be theirs.

I'm thankful for my parents. They are so loving and supportive. They are also so understanding. I know they hate (HATE!) the distance between us- especially now that Linus is around. And I do too. However, I have the joy of my marriage and son to make up for it. They have to wait for our all too infrequent visits. They are such wonderful parents and grandparents. We are all so very lucky to have them.

The biggest thing that I was thankful for yesterday, though, was this:

I'm thankful technology and that my G'ma doesn't really understand it. We connected to my family before they sat down to dinner on my brother's iPad. When my beloved G'ma was handed the iPad, we spoke briefly and she got to talk to her first-born great grandson. I didn't, however get to hear whatever she tearfully said to us after that. I think this is a very good thing as I likely wouldn't have been able to keep it together. Instead, I had a good laugh as I played charades to let them know I couldn't hear and the iPad was passed back to my brother to fix. We got passed around the kitchen of my Aunt and Uncle's bustling house and said hello to everyone. Linus sang some songs and met his cousin Wyatt. We were introduced to my cousin's fiance- a lovely girl. The laughter and noise and hub-bub of preparation almost made me feel like we were there for those brief moments. And it was wonderful.

Today, I made my pumpkin pie. In a loose-bottomed flan tin because that's what I had. And it was good. And for that, I'm thankful.

Mama

I've mentioned in the past that Linus was... slow... to jump on the Mama train.

He'd happily share a hat. Er, plastic tub.

My darling boy certainly loved me, but he just wasn't eager to name me. He had "Dada" down for a long time before he ever uttered the word "Mama" in reference to me. Heck, he even had Grandma and Grandpa. He was obsessed with Jack, the little blond boy in Mr. Daydream after a single reading- proclaiming "Jack!" and pointing with delight.

A look of love

I started to think that the problem was that he didn't understand that he and I were separate people. We spend nearly all our time together and it seemed to jive with his confusion regarding why I needed a name. That theory made me feel warm and fuzzy while I waited to hear the sweet sound of "Mama". I still think it was true.

Suddenly, one day, he got the hang of it. Now it's a constant refrain. This morning on the tram, he was introducing me to the packed car of people. Pointing over his shoulder to where I stood at the handlebar of his stroller and proudly proclaiming "Mama!" to all his new friends. I love it. I love the sound of that repeated syllable. 

As and expat, I treasure "Mama" even more. All of Linus' friends have long-since moved on from the initial sounds to the standard "Mummy". I'm a unique amongst a sea of mummies. I am Mama, hear me roar. I really hope he sticks with it for a long time. I know that most likely, he'll eventually switch to Mummy. He's bound to hear it and adopt it once he goes to school. Heck, he already hears it from Daddy. So for now, I'll treasure these days of being Mama.

All this intro to say that there's a new development. Linus loves to look at pictures of both Ross and me. He gleefully identifies us. In the last week, though, he's has gone a bit Mama-crazy. The following are pictures he has pointed to and said "Mama".

This one was first. The lady on the box of Tyrrell's Crisps. I was less than flattered.

To give him the benefit of the doubt, my coat did look similar. And she's wearing a hat. I like hats.

The bill painter at the rubber duck factory in Ten Little Rubber Ducks by Eric Carle.

Slightly more flattering.

Janice on this poster from The Muppets. Ok. I can handle that.

Then Scooter. Sigh.

The (evil?) queen on Linus' alphabet puzzle.

At least she's pretty.

I wonder what's next.

Any one else have a child with a slightly adventurous opinion of what "Mama" looks like?

20 months

Dear Sweet Baby,

You are 20 months old and we love you so much. That should come as no surprise. We think you are so fun and funny and just all-aroud-awesome. In that respect nothing much as changed. Daddy and I look at each other every day and marvel at how much we like you. You make us smile and laugh so much.

You still love "sa"s

You have learned so much in the last few months. Running, jumping, and talking up a storm occupy our days. You are just starting to put together some phrases. "Bobbin Song" was your first word combo. You love to sing "Wind the Bobbin Up" and ask for it often. You are also working on manners. You know the signs for "please" and "thank you". If I ask you to ask for something nicely you are very good at adding please to your request. Sometimes you sign it, sometimes you say it, and sometimes you do both. You will sign "thank you" when prompted, but haven't started saying it yet. It's really interesting to me to see how your language develops. You are maintaining a neat combination of signing and speaking.

You are learning so much and we've inadvertently taught you a few queues that we think are hilariously awesome. When someone says "fast feet" you run in place. When someone says "What are you gonna do?" you put your hands out as if shrugging your shoulders. When you are cheering yourself or someone else on at an accomplishment you will put your arms up in the air and say "Did it!".

So cute

Perhaps our absolute favourite is your response to the question "Are you OK?". If you are, in fact, ok- you respond "Sha sha". It is too sweet. We're not sure if you're saying "ok" or something else, but it clearly means "Yep. I'm fine." We ask you multiple times a day, just to hear you say it. It is also useful because if you're upset or have had a little tumble we can ask and know that you're no seriously upset or in pain. I need to get it on video. I'll be very sad when you say it. Same goes for you saying "bup" instead of up. Sweet boy!

You love to climb and slide. You are finally getting on board with swimming. You think Mommy and Daddy have beautiful singing voices (You're not wrong about Mommy ;)). I think your favourite activity is bath time. You LOVE to slip and slide while the water is draining. Bath time is both my least and most favourite time of day. Least because it's the end of the day and sometimes I'm just tired and thinking ahead to the dinner that still needs making after you go to bed. And most because you are so cute and fun, splashing in the water and laughing your sweet little giggle. Needless to say, the giggle wins.

You don't believe me when I tell you bath water is yucky.

Your sleep is still great. I could do with a longer nap. You're down to just around and hour in the afternoon. But! You generally sleep from 7PM to 8AM, so I can't complain. You are doing fine with eating and are starting to come out of a picky phase. You love fruit, cheese, and raw cabbage. Pickles and olives are a must. Generally, you want a bite of anything Daddy is eating. Even if you've just finished a meal.

I always said "I just don't understand those mothers that won't cut their son's hair. Mooning over curls." Well I eat my words. Your curls are glorious. I am worried that they will be ruined by a haircut, so I'm holding out until you start to look like a girl. Daddy doesn't mind, given that he'd forgo haircuts altogether if he could. 

You are still a bit shy when we go to toddler groups. You don't cling to me, but you are hesitant to fully join in. You won't really do the motions to songs, even though you do them with me at home. I think you just like to check things out and take the lay of the land before joining in. I can't disagree with that approach. 

Ribbon hat at music group

You are your mother's son and are really into accessories. Sunglasses, hats, bags. It's not unusual for you to cycle through multiple hats in a day. You love to carry bags, throwing them over your arm and saying "Bye-bye" cheerfully. On the other hand, you are also a Daddy's boy. You generally want Daddy to pick you up and hold you when you're upset and lately you are very unhappy if you and I go somewhere without Daddy. Daddy just beams at you. You are free and easy with kisses for both of us, though for some reason, Daddy is often greeted with a head bowed. You present your head, sometimes even the back of your neck for kisses. I more frequently get your mouth or cheek. When you give hugs you go "Ahhh" contentedly. 

I can't believe how much you have changed and grown in the last few months. Every day you do or say something new and we think "how did you learn that?!!?" You are an amazing little man. I say it every letter, but we adore you. Every day, you make my heart full of love. I think you are the best thing I've ever done. 

Love you so much,

Mommy

Tram Conversations

When using public transportation, you see and hear lots of things. 

Some are interesting. 

A few weeks ago, we were getting on the tram when the doors shut very quickly and the tram started to move. I was just inside the door on the crowded tram car and saw a woman on the other side frantically pushing the button. As she realized the tram wasn't going to let her on, she started motioning and yelling. At first I thought, "Geez lady, calm down. Sure it's annoying to miss a tram like that, but another one will be along in a few minutes." Then I realized that she wasn't yelling, she was trying to communicate instructions to people on the tram. I also realized that the people were three young men (late teens/early 20s). We couldn't really make out the instructions before the tram pulled away. As we rode along, it became clear that the young men were mentally handicapped. They lamented the situation between themselves and said over and over that it was "the doors' fault". The looked at me for reassurance in this matter. I heartily agreed that there was nothing they could have done. As the ride went on, the boys continued to confirm amongst themselves that it was the doors' fault. I noticed that one was wearing a Bury College lanyard and we asked if they were going to Bury (the last stop on the line). They confirmed that they were and so we talked about how they could just stay on until the end and then get off and wait for their teacher to join them, as she would surely be on the next tram. Not long before our stop (2 stops before the Bury stop), I confirmed that the young men knew what to do. (We would have accompanied them, but it was already pushing it for Linus' dinner time and there were plenty of others on the tram who could assist.) One of them looked at me and earnestly said "It's scary being all alone." I told him that he wasn't alone. He had his friends and the other people on the tram. And then ran through what to do once they got to the Bury stop one more time. I then high-fived them for reassurance. They were such sweet guys. I still sort of wish we could have accompanied them, just to make sure.

Some are funny.

The other day, I was holding Linus as Ross and I stood on a crowded tram car. In order to fit on the tram, we'd filled in spaces, meaning that we weren't right next to each other. A nearby man in a business suit was smiling at Linus and making faces to entertain him. Linus' gaze shifted to Ross. I noticed his smile and said "Is that your daddy?" Ross noticed the panic on the suited man's face. I was oblivious to the fact that the man thought I was referring to him!

Some are sad.

Today we rode the tram and were wedged next to 3 teenagers. Two boys and a girl. One boy and the girl were a couple and the other boy was a newish friend of theirs. They were all filled with the public cockiness that teens so often put on to mask their insecurity. They talked loudly, putting on a show for the other tram-riders. They clearly imagined themselves the stars of some very compelling reality show. (Clearly they weren't wrong, as I'm now relaying the story to you.) They spoke about the petty dramas that fill most teenage lives. They used vulgar language with daring and a pinch too much forced casualness. The boyfriend got on his cell phone and called someone and asked if it was ok for his girlfriend to come to his house for tea (tea means dinner 'round these parts). As he hung up the phone, he was all in a huff and chastised his girlfriend that she'd "almost made him say 'I love you' to his dad". The three shared a good old laugh. The boy continued in his exclamations regarding expressing this emotion. He acted like it would have been the most ridiculous thing ever. His girlfriend joined in his laughter saying "that would have been... awkward". The way she said it left no doubt, that she would have found it the height of lameness. They all mocked the possibility of this imagined faux pas together. They continued to discuss exchange of emotion between father and son in a dismissive manner and threw around the word "gay". 

I wanted to turn around and tell this boy that:

a) "Gay" is not an insult. It isn't a word to be used to describe a situation that makes you uncomfortable. It is not "gay" to express emotion. Unless he meant that sometimes being gay takes real courage, as does expressing emotion.

b) I bet his father loves him. A lot. 

c) I hope that he loves his father. And I hope someday soon he figures out a way to till him as much.

I didn't. I just continued listening to this conversation- my back to them as I faced my husband. My adorable husband who was holding our son. My two favorite boys who were gazing at each other with such love. I watched as they played and made silly faces and as Ross covered Linus' face with kisses. It broke my heart to think that some day Linus might have a similar conversation. Then I thought about it and decided that was a silly worry. Of course our boy would grow up in a loving home where his parents were open with their emotions and vocal about their love. He would come of age knowing that it IS cool love your family. He might get embarrassed by us. He might get mad at us. But he will always know that Mommy and Daddy love each other. And that we both love him. We say it constantly. Because it's important to me. Important that he not just know it, but that he hear it. Important that he learn to say it. Important that we teach our boy to be a man who can express himself emotionally. So then I just felt sad. Sad that this boy didn't feel that way. Sad that he and his father don't get to experience the joy of open admiration for each other. And happy. Happy that my husband has no problem expressing love. That he is the kind of father who will kiss his son and hold his hand and teach him how to be a loving, kind, and brave person. Happy that Linus will have such a wonderful role model to show him how a real man acts.

Are you vocal with your love? 

Anyone else have any good public transportation stories?

Cheerful Sunday

Today, I am cheerful that I am 34 years old. I got to celebrate the day with my two most favourite guys who make me smile so big. I have amazing parents, family, and friends. I'm a lucky, lucky girl. Can't wait to see what the next year brings.

10 Months

Dear Line,

Ten months! You are ten months old! We celebrated your first Christmas and got a picture taken with Santa.  I'm hoping to make it an annual tradition (though I think we'll try to find a better Santa next year... maybe one not located in a strip centre parking lot inside a tiny wooden hut!)

You surprised Daddy and me by taking your very first steps this month. You wanted one of us to pick you up and moved from Daddy to Mommy in hopes of some extra attention. (Daddy was busy working!) I was chatting to Grandma online, but saw you take two little steps just out the corner of my eye. Daddy saw it to and we couldn't believe it! You haven't managed more than one shaky step again, but you are getting much better at standing up on your own. You can balance for several seconds before you plop down on your little tushie. You still prefer to crawl for speed, but I don't think it will be long before you're running rings around us. You have also gotten the hang of waving this month. You love to wave to us, but are a bit more reserved with strangers. You also love to point. Often you aren't really pointing at anything, you just have a finger up in the air. Daddy and I joke that it looks like you are saying "I have an idea!"

You are still eating well, though you've had a bout of pickiness lately. You went off sweet potatoes, sending me into a panic! You seem to be developing a strong preference for certain foods to be warm, whereas you used to not mind one way or the other. Your favorite these days seems to be half a pita with hummus and grated carrot. You've also started drinking a lot more water, which is awesome. I'm so glad that we decided to do Baby-led Weaning and can't imagine doing it another way. You added in a second morning milk feed directly after your first when you were sick earlier this month and haven't dropped it yet, but I don't mind.

Speaking of you being sick, you passed another childhood milestone by coming down with your first virus. One morning you had some tiny marks around your mouth. At first, I thought you'd just scratched your face by chewing on fingers with nails that were a bit long. By mid-morning, though your Daddy pointed out that it looked more like a rash. Mother's intuition told me it was Hand Foot and Mouth, a very common childhood virus. It was confirmed when the rash spread to your arms and legs. I felt terrible that it took me so long to figure out, as looking back you'd been under the weather for about a day before I noticed. I could tell you felt a bit crummy because you were fussier than usual and didn't want to eat. We gave you plenty of TLC and you were back to your old self before the weeks end.

Mr. Spotty Face

Your night sleep is still really good- though some mornings I'd be happy for you to sleep a bit later! Your naps are a work in progress. Lately I've been lying down with you to nap. It's very nice and sweet to snuggle with you, but makes it difficult to accomplish much. I keep telling myself that it's all just a phase and that you'll only be a baby for so long, so I should just treasure the moments of cuddling with you. I'm working on putting a nap routine in place, though, so look out for that next month.

You are still a total Daddy's Boy, clinging to him and reaching for him. You love me too, but rarely cling to me the way you do him. I love watching the two of you together. The other night, Daddy and I were going to bed and he declared "I'm going to check on my boy". It was the cutest ever. (Psst. Today is Mommy and Daddy's 3rd wedding anniversary. In case you can't tell, we dig each other SO much. We always want you to know how much we love each other and how much we love you!) 

Your understanding is really increasing. You definitely know the sign for milk and get super-excited when I do it. You've even done it a few times. We're working on "more" now. You say "mama" a bunch, and you're starting to associate it with me. You've done "dada" a few times, but not regularly. Mostly it's still sweet babbly nonsense, but we love it anyway! You are able to "play" a lot more now and love to do peek-a-boo. By that I mean that you will hold something out for me to duck behind (like the collar of my shirt) and then pull it away and laugh. You can also hand me things when I ask for them. You are so fun. I'm sure every parent thinks their baby is the bee's knees, but baby you sure are swell!

Christmas was fun, but you didn't really know what was going on. We didn't put up the tree because we didn't have much space and I was worried you would pull it over. Next year, we'll pull out all the stops and really do Christmas right. You got several presents that you really love like your walker, wooden puzzles and a shape stacker. I staged a little photo shoot of you to celebrate the occasion. It makes me laugh and smile, just like you always do.

I love you so much,

Mommy.

Happy New Year by the Numbers

Ross and I just spent our 5th Christmas together.
4 years ago, Ross proposed on New Year's Eve.
We will celebrate our 3rd anniversary on Wednesday.
I've got 2 special sweethearts this year.
I'm 1 lucky lady!

Wishing y'all a happy and healthy New Year!

9 Months

Dear Sweet Sweet,

You are 9 whole months old! How is that possible? Three quarters of a year! Almost longer out than in! You are such a little person. I often have to remind myself that you are still just a tiny baby because I can see so much happening in your head and your personality is in full force.

sweet face

You are a professional crawler and are becoming a master cruiser very quickly. There were a few minor injuries (a nose and cheek bonk) while you were getting the hang of it, but we've all recovered. (I think it might have been harder on Mommy and Daddy than it was on you!) You've even started taking a few steps while holding on to a hand. I'm pretty sure you'll be walking before you're one. One of my favorite things is when you hold your arms up to me because you want to be picked up. The other day, I declared that I would never get tired of it. I'm pretty sure that's not true, but- for the time being- it never fails to warm my heart and make me smile! Speaking of smiles, you've got 5 teeth now and (judging by the drool/pink cheeks situation) more on the way.

Cruise control

You are an eating machine these days. You are down to about 3 milk feeds a day- when you first wake up, sometime mid-afternoon, and just before bed. You have 3 meals a day and usually a couple of small snacks as well. Sometimes I am amazed at the amount you are able to eat. Your favorites are still mozzarella, sweet potatoes, pears, and yogurt. You are really loving rice cakes and pitas with hummus or cream cheese and grated carrot these days. You can be a little picky and will pass over things you aren't interested in again and again. Usually once you actually try something, you realize that it tastes pretty good!

(This is the point where blogger says I'm out of photo storage.

I descend into rage because I have so many more cute pictures of Linus that

I MUST SHARE WITH THE INTERNETS!

Sheesh! Don't they know that people need to see teh cuteness!

I'll figure out how to remedy this situation and (if I can be bothered/remember)

I'll come back and add more picture.)

We've finally gotten you back to sleeping through the night which is awesome. You wake up sometimes for a few minutes, but never for long enough to need us to come see you. I've finally started sleeping through again too. For a few weeks after you were doing it, I was still waking up several times! As for naps, well, they're another story all together. You're down to two very predictable naps, which is very nice. One about 2.5-3 hours after you get up and then another about 2.5-3 hours after you've been up from the first nap. It's the most predictable you've ever been. The bad part is you seem to have completely forgotten how to nap in your crib. I've been taking you on walks nearly every nap time because it puts you to sleep, but I've got to figure out how to get you back into the crib. It's really making it hard for me to get things like dishes and laundry done! All in all, I'll take good night sleep over good naps if that's what's on offer.

You and Daddy are just as cute together as always. It's a serious mutual admiration society. You have started clinging to and reaching for him. It's a good thing I'm a secure person or it might hurt my feelings. Instead it makes me incredibly happy to see my two boys having such a great relationship. Daddy has a myriad of nicknames for you, but one in particular has stuck lately. I'm not sure why, but for some reason your father has started calling you "Mr. Carstairs". It's bizarre. And pretty cute. Which pretty much sums up your Daddy, so I guess that's appropriate!

You're talking more and more and really experimenting with sounds you can make. They're all really cute and I'll never understand people who want to "mute" their babies. Maybe it's because you aren't a major crier, but I love listening to your noises! You haven't started copying our noises really, but you get VERY excited if we make a noise that you've made back to you. I've just started using a little bit of baby sign language with you and am hoping it will help you communicate with us more. We're starting slow with "milk", "more", and "all done".

My favorite noise is your sweet laugh. You can turn into such a giggle monster when your mood is right. Peek-a-Boo usually gets you going. You also love when I turn you upside-down or when we throw you in the air (even better being upside-down AND getting thrown in the air!). Kiss attacks also work well. Your blue cup that you play with in the bath also makes you weirdly happy, as does when I dunk your rubber duck under the water.

(I would close by showing you a super-cute picture of Linus with his blue cup,

but blogger won't let me. Harumph!)

I love you so very much. I'm so lucky to be your mommy!
Mommy

Cheerful Sunday

This Sunday, I'm cheerful about things for which I'm thankful.
(How's that for shoehorning in a Thanksgiving post?) In that spirit, I'm going to tell you what I'm thankful for right now.

1. My parents-

How much does Linus look like me in this picture!?

My parents are awesome. Ross and I are both super grateful for their love and support. They are also amazing grandparents. I can't say how luck I am to have them as my mom and dad.

2. My new friends- I'm very lucky to have met some awesome women in the last year. One of their husbands dubbed us "The Coven", which never fails to amuse me. I hadn't realized how much I missed having girlfriends. My little group of friends brings me a ton of laughter and support as we go through the first months of motherhood together. I actually celebrated Thanksgiving by getting together with the girls for my first night out without Linus (and also my first without Ross since I moved here!). We had drinks and pizza. I wore a dress and a real bra for the first time in 9 months! I'm completely unbiased in my assessment that we have the four most awesome babies in the world ;)

3. My family- I don't know if I've mentioned it before, but I'm totally into my husband and by baby. They're, like, the most awesome-sauce covered awesomes ever. Ross always makes me laugh and works so hard to take care of me and Linus. He's a committed, caring, loving husband and a goofy, tender, sweetheart of a dad. Watching the two of them together makes me weepy with happiness. 

my two loves

Those are my big 3! I hope you're having a cheerful Sunday and that you have as many awesomes in your world as I have in mine.

Nicknames

I've always given people nicknames. I've always had a bit of a knack for it. It's like a gift.

Example: I had a boyfriend many moons ago who I gave the name "Seamus". His real name was Michael. Don't ask me why. (Well, I guess you can ask. It was before we started dating, he was a friend of my roommate's and I could never remember his name so I just pulled a random one out of thin air.) Even years later other people now call him Seamus. People I never even met. It just stuck.

Strangely, given this gift of mine, I've never had a nickname for Ross. I mean, I call him "honey" and "babe" and other common terms of endearment, but no unique-to-him names have ever been on the scene. This still surprises me. I've had a few random nicknames from him ("Pigeon Knuckles" springs to mind), but nothing terribly long-term. They tend to be inspired by nothing much at all and change frequently.

This pattern has continued with Linus. I stick to "Line" and "Sweet Bean". Ross uses a whole ever-changing assortment.

Father/son hat swap

Most mornings, Ross gets up to get Linus. I lie in bed, trying to pretend I'm still getting a precious few minutes more of sleep. Really, though, I'm listening to the monitor on my nightstand to hear my one of my favourite exchanges. Each morning, Ross greets our son: "Good morning, <insert nickname>!" He either laughs with Linus if he's found him in a good mood or picks him up and consoles him if he's angry or grumpy. The interaction is always smile-inducing, but the nickname is my favourite part. 

So yes, those mornings are nice because I get a little extra rest. (On the really nice mornings, Ross goes ahead and changes Linus' diaper before bringing him to me for his morning feed.) Mostly, I love being an audio-voyeur into the love between my husband and son.

What's the best nicknames you've ever had?

Are you good at bestowing them? What's the best one you've given?

6 Months

Dear Liney,

You turned 6 months old this past Saturday! I know it's always the case with babies, but I really can't believe that you are already half a year old. The time is flying by! We didn't do anything special to celebrate really. Daddy did some work and then we went into town with him to mail out parcels.  We went to lunch at the Illy Cafe, which was completely deserted!

You love each other so much!

A tomato and mozzarella pannini to celebrate!

So that cold that I mentioned last month... you're fine now, but it's messed up your sleep terribly! You magically started taking all your naps in the crib, but haven't slept through the night in a month. To be honest, I am really ready for you to go back to your awesome all-night sleeping. I think we're getting there. You're back down to one wake up most nights, so lets keep that going. Fingers crossed! 

We think you are teething, but no actual teeth have shown up yet. You are very drooly and love to put things in your mouth and chew on them. There are times when I can tell you are really in pain, which I hate. Usually your icy keys or ring do the trick to make things better.

This month you had your first night away from home since you came home from the hospital. Don't worry! We came with you! We went to Wales for Daddy's birthday and you stayed in a hotel for the first time. You would have been happier (and so would we!) if it had been a little cooler, but there was no A/C in the hotel. You did a good job in the car on the way there, but hated the drive back home. You screamed almost the whole way, only stopping when we pulled over and got you out to stretch and have something to eat.  

That look on Daddy's face is because he can't stand to hear you cry.

We've made it to 6 month with you being exclusively breastfed. This makes me really happy. I know it's so good for you and it makes me proud to know that I've helped you grow to more than double your birth weight without any outside help. We're very lucky that we haven't really had any big problems. You'll keep getting breast milk until you're a year, but you'll also be starting solid foods soon. That should be really fun!

You're still a sweet, happy boy. You are very giggly and love when we shower you with attention (which is a LOT!). You love raspberries anywhere on your body and adore when I turn you upside down and give you kisses. You do a very sweet face when I kiss you where your mouth opens up and your eyes blink really big. It's a great encouragement to cover you with kisses (not that I need much)! 

You still haven't totally gotten the hang of sitting up, but you're getting close. You like to sit up and either hold onto a hand or lean against Mommy or Daddy. You are getting better at moving around. You've stopped doing your sweet inch worm movements and are now army crawling. You are very fast and very inquisitive. You're into everything, which means Mommy and Daddy are working hard to make things neat and safe.

You got a doorway bouncer this month too. Since we've had to retire the bouncy chair (you kept almost launching yourself out of it) this is our only "baby containment device" besides the crib. You love to bounce in it. It's great for when I need to do some stuff in the kitchen as I can interact with you and do the dishes or cook. 

You are just now figuring out what is happening when we Skype with Grandma and Grandpa. You used to not really interact, but lately I can tell that you can see them and react to what they do and say. We talk nearly every Sunday and it's a real treat. It's so fun to watch you smile and laugh and reach for the camera. I know they miss you terribly and can't wait to hold you again.

My sweet sweet baby, you have changed so much in the last 6 months. I can only imagine how much fun, love, and laughter the next 6 months will hold!

March 1, 2012

Sept. 1, 2012

I love you so much!

Mommy

Cheerful Sunday

We had a fun time at the Bolton Food and Drink Festival today, even though it was pouring down rain.
We took shelter in one of the food tents and enjoyed some fresh pancakes (thin, crepe style)- lemon and sugar for me, apple and cinnamon for Ross.

We got some delicious fresh French bread and very tasty crumbly Lancashire cheese.

How wonderful to have fun, even when conditions are less than ideal!

Better than throwing darts at a map.

Yesterday was Ross' birthday. To celebrate, we went to Wales. Ross tried to tell me that it counted as "going abroad", but I wasn't fooled! It was a nice little trip and Linus' first time to spend the night away from home since he came home from the hospital.

Ross has a strange thing about going out of town for birthdays. Since I've lived here we have always gone somewhere for our birthdays, and have developed an interesting way of picking where we go for Ross'.

2010 in the Lake District/Ulverston

2011 in Blackpool

2012 in Caerphilly

Any guesses?

I'll give you a hint:

with Stan & Ollie

with Les Dawson

with Tommy Cooper

Yep. We go somewhere that has a statue of a comedian. Ross is a bit of a comedy historian and it's a been a pretty good way to pick a place to go. The only real problem with this year's trip was the shocking lack of Caerphilly cheese available in Caerphilly! Ross was very excited to get some, but there was none to be found. How very disappointing! It turns out that more Caerphilly cheese is now made in Lancashire.

Here's the birthday boy with his pride and joy.

Don't worry, we weren't letting Linus drive.  

This is while we were stopped at The Services on the way home.

So does anyone have a nomination for next year's trip/statue location?

Cheerful Sunday

These two boys are very cute and fun. They make me more cheerful than just about anything.

(edited to flip the picture the right way... silly mobile Blogger app)

Personality

We recently won a photo shoot and 5x7" portrait after I answered a survey while out shopping in Bury.  I was super-excited about the chance to have a great picture of our little family.  We've got some that we took when Linus was one month old, but it'll be nice to have some that don't involve a box as a tripod and the self-timer.

Well, tonight I spoke to the girl from the photography studio to schedule our session and was left scratching my head.  She explained that they really like to capture the family in their element and put lots of personality into the pictures.  Sounds great!  I don't want cheese pictures of fixed smiles.  In photos like that I always end up looking crazy or you can read the thought "just take the darn picture already" in my eyes.  The best pictures ever taken of me are from our engagement pictures and our wedding pictures.  Granted the professional hair and make up at the wedding helped, but the most important part was that it was a relaxed shooting style that captured us as we really are. 

The scheduler asked me questions about what we are "in to".  I struggled to answer this.... "Um.... our family?  Laughing?... We're kind of boring, I guess..."  She finally managed to get me to say that Ross likes old movies- like Laurel and Hardy and that I like to cook.  I also mentioned that Ross really likes socks.  She said that was weird.*  She then suggested that, in order to make our photos more personal, we should bring some of movies and some pots and pans.  Right. Sure.  Nothing says priceless family photos like props of DVDs and cookware.

Tell me I'm not the only one that thinks that sounds like the worst idea ever?  I'd much rather have pictures of my family laughing and smiling and being goofy.  I'd like us to be the focus, rather than some stuff that we like.  I can't speak for Ross and his DVDs, but I like my husband and my son and heck of a lot more than I like pots and pans!  I do appreciate what they're trying to do: put people at ease and make the photos more individual, but come on... If our family doesn't have enough personality and facial expressions to make a fun photo shoot, then I'll eat my hat.  Or maybe Linus' hat.  

It's cuter.

Anyway, I'll keep you posted on our experience (spoiler: we won't be bringing any props).

Have you ever used props in a photo shoot?
Would you have family pictures taken with a stack of DVD's and pots and pans?

*Ross disputes and takes great offence to the idea that his love of socks is weird.  I explained that, while I don't mind, it is (in fact) abnormal to have an entire dresser full of socks.  He wasn't convinced.